Reveling in the present, living for the future – to me, that’s what the summer holidays are all about. The summer holidays are, to me, a time to experience things that I will most likely never get to experience - well, at least not at such scale and duration. They are also a time for me to make piecemeal but imperative preparations for the longest phase in my life – the inevitable decades of working life. These may ostensibly seem like two irreconcilable ways to spend a summer, but I am blessed that they unfolded seamlessly throughout the four months which, I can gladly say, were a blast.
I started off interning at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) with a handful of my classmates. Indeed, it was very much of an eye-opener for a law student, like myself, to experience the public realm of the legal sphere, firsthand. This was achieved through the very thoughtfully and professionally-structured inaugural internship programme that the AGC internship committee had assembled for us. We were pleasantly struck by the generous hospitality of the various divisions (International Affairs, Civil, Legislation and Law Reform, and Criminal), as well as individuals of AGC, who not only filled our minds with knowledge of what being a state counsel entails, but also our stomachs. A few of us walked away with serious contemplations of hopping onto the legal service bandwagon upon graduation.
After AGC, a combination of shoveling through hard-earned savings, as well as largesse from my kind parents, made a backpacking trip to Europe possible. This time, the conquest spanned across Spain, France, Belgium, Czech, Hungary, Austria and England. It was a mind-blowing (and pocket-burning) experience that was etched with unforgettable sights, great food, and cultural baptisms. The hits weren’t everything, of course – the misses, such as getting lost for an hour with our backpacks outside a cluster of tiny Provençal villages that are off even the French Lonely Planet grid, facing some trouble with North Africans punks in Nice, almost being pick-pocketed twice in Brussels, getting ripped off in Prague, waking up late and having 15 min to pack and bolt to the train station with our backpacks to catch the train to London, definitely completed the unique thrill of this rollercoaster ride.
The last segment of the holidays was spent interning at Rajah & Tann LLP (R&T). I spent two weeks at the Commercial Litigation department and the next two at the Banking, Finance and Insolvency department. Although one month isn’t a long time, it was nevertheless a worthy experience to observe and engage in the machinery of one of the best and most reputable law firms in Singapore. Having done two previous internships in local law firms, I believe that each individual experience is highly subjective and sui generis. What I will venture saying is that I gained much from my internship and have picked up skills, seen things and made connections that one can barely glean from law school alone.
‘Twas a memorable summer, and I’m glad that there is the swansong of 2010 to anticipate.
I started off interning at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) with a handful of my classmates. Indeed, it was very much of an eye-opener for a law student, like myself, to experience the public realm of the legal sphere, firsthand. This was achieved through the very thoughtfully and professionally-structured inaugural internship programme that the AGC internship committee had assembled for us. We were pleasantly struck by the generous hospitality of the various divisions (International Affairs, Civil, Legislation and Law Reform, and Criminal), as well as individuals of AGC, who not only filled our minds with knowledge of what being a state counsel entails, but also our stomachs. A few of us walked away with serious contemplations of hopping onto the legal service bandwagon upon graduation.
After AGC, a combination of shoveling through hard-earned savings, as well as largesse from my kind parents, made a backpacking trip to Europe possible. This time, the conquest spanned across Spain, France, Belgium, Czech, Hungary, Austria and England. It was a mind-blowing (and pocket-burning) experience that was etched with unforgettable sights, great food, and cultural baptisms. The hits weren’t everything, of course – the misses, such as getting lost for an hour with our backpacks outside a cluster of tiny Provençal villages that are off even the French Lonely Planet grid, facing some trouble with North Africans punks in Nice, almost being pick-pocketed twice in Brussels, getting ripped off in Prague, waking up late and having 15 min to pack and bolt to the train station with our backpacks to catch the train to London, definitely completed the unique thrill of this rollercoaster ride.
The last segment of the holidays was spent interning at Rajah & Tann LLP (R&T). I spent two weeks at the Commercial Litigation department and the next two at the Banking, Finance and Insolvency department. Although one month isn’t a long time, it was nevertheless a worthy experience to observe and engage in the machinery of one of the best and most reputable law firms in Singapore. Having done two previous internships in local law firms, I believe that each individual experience is highly subjective and sui generis. What I will venture saying is that I gained much from my internship and have picked up skills, seen things and made connections that one can barely glean from law school alone.
‘Twas a memorable summer, and I’m glad that there is the swansong of 2010 to anticipate.
Cheerios, amigos!
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